Pet owners with multiple or large pets buy pet food in large quantities of food which needs to be kept fresh in storage. In addition, open containers can attract bugs, rodents and other vermin. This need has given rise to may different types of large air tight containers for keeping pet food fresh.
Many of the containers available in the market have a separate lid and a container body. The problem with this configuration is in the shipping and storage on retail shelves. Many times before the product even makes it to the shelves of the retail store the pieces are separated and some may be missing. Containers may be missing lids or there may be more lids then containers. Shipping may also damage some of the lids leaving the retailer with a large quantity of containers without lids. Another problem may be theft of the lids in the stores or misplacement away from the container bodies. The retailer must now use valuable storage space until corresponding lids are shipped or replaced before the product can be put on the shelf for sale.
Another problem which arises from the prior art configuration of a separate container and lid is display on retail store shelves. Display area on retail store shelves is valuable; the retailer wants to be able to display many different types of products within the available space so that they can meet the needs of various consumer demands. In addition it is expensive both in labor for restocking and lost sales if insufficient product is on the shelves to accommodate customer needs. Another problem which arises in retailing these large bins or containers is shipping them from the manufacturer to the retailer. When shipping their product a manufacturers cost of shipment per container is affected by how many of a product can be shipped or packed in a given volume of space.
Applicant's invention resolves these storage and shipping issues by a unique arrangement of the lid and container by hinging. This eliminates the problem of missing lids or the retailer receiving a greater quantity of one piece than the other. Another important feature of Applicant's containers is that they can also be nested within each other with the lids still attached. This feature of the container will make them easier to display in retail stores, it will also make them more space efficient during shipping. This will in turn lower the cost of manufacturing offering a lower price to the retailer which can be passed on to the consumer.